For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 13 - Confidentially

#13. Confidentially

The office was completely engulfed in darkness as the sun had fully set. Only a few candles were lit, casting a dim light across the room. Shadows lingered even on turned backs. Though the outside was nothing but darkness with the sun gone, Alfonse was deliberately facing towards the window. It was an action that perplexed Perth. However, what mattered was not whether Perth understood or not; Alfonse was his superior, and his current mood was sour.

“What do you think is the issue with this matter?” 

Alfonse took a sip of the tea resting on his office desk. Thinking back to what happened earlier, Perth found himself oddly thirsty. Perth merely chuckled in response. An issue? That word choice was incorrect. Failing to win Lia’s favor wasn’t an issue to be categorized under such urgency. It was a natural occurrence.

“Well, perhaps we underestimated Lady Lia a bit too much.”

Of course, most women fell for Alfonse’s tricks, starting from the initial jest. While many didn’t succumb, according to Alfonse, it was a strategy that almost always succeeded. Lia mistakenly thought he had devised a cunning plan, but from start to finish, Perth had only cooperated and not contributed any ideas. 

Alfonse’s eagerness to seduce, even going as far as deliberately strategizing, was incomprehensible to Perth. With his good looks and royal background, women lined up for him without any effort. He enjoyed selecting a target and ensuring their surrender through calculated means. According to his candid confession during a drunken moment, it was his only hobby amidst the stifling life of the palace.

“Yes. As Father said, there are as many tactics as there are women in the world.”

Similar to Alfonse, the king also harbored similar hobbies. If one were to question why a monarch of a country would need such a hobby, well… perhaps it was his escape as well. Rumor had it he treaded even riskier paths than Alfonse, seducing the wives of foreign envoys—a highly dangerous game. All of this had to be conducted in secrecy; many of the king’s mistresses were kept hidden.

“Well, Father also mentioned that understanding one’s opponent is crucial for victory in battle.”

Alfonse’s gaze as he faced Perth was incredibly serious. ‘Is this such a serious matter?’ Perth thought inwardly, but he didn’t avert his eyes from Alfonse’s.

“Look into Lady Lia.”

“Me?”

Perth felt a surge of bitterness as he responded to his superior’s request. Normally, it would have ended with a simple ‘Yes, understood.’ However, investigating the already busy subordinate for the sake of a target Alfonse was determined to conquer provoked resentment.

“Then, do you think I should personally… conduct the investigation?”

“Not necessarily.”

Perth briefly imagined Alfonse trailing Lia in his mind. With his already striking golden hair and the fact that there was hardly anyone in the palace who didn’t know him, the mere thought of such a prince conducting a mere pursuit would surely cause a commotion throughout the palace. However, that didn’t mean Perth felt inclined to personally investigate her either. Perth found himself sighing deeply without realizing it.

“Why are you so fixated on her?”

The implication was to understand the reason behind Alfonse’s actions. Alfonse often assigned nonsensical tasks, but Perth wished he would at least provide a reason when assigning them. That way, they could efficiently handle these bothersome tasks. Alfonse seemed to smirk as if he had been waiting for Perth’s question.

“Don’t you know, given our situation?”

The situation was clear for Alfonse, the first prince. Although he was the rightful heir as the first son of the queen consort, he lacked sufficient support. With dozens of children in line for the throne, all relatives, regardless of whether they shared blood or not, were considered Alfonse’s enemies. The throne was a tempting prize. Ferdinand, the royal consort of generations, was the one Alfonse guarded against the most. He was also the fiancé of Abigail, who hailed from Ferdinand’s lineage.

Abigail was beautiful, obedient, and came from an impeccable background—a perfect future queen consort. Having been groomed as a queen consort from birth, it was only natural. Alfonse felt suffocated whenever he saw his flawless fiancée. Hence, he sought distractions, albeit naturally being fond of women.

“Of course, Count Penelope is needed in our situation, but he and his daughter are different individuals.”

As Alfonse’s aide, Perth knew his perspective well. Count Penelope stood firmly neutral, but being perfectly neutral itself indicated considerable authority. If there was any chance of influencing him even slightly, using Lia, as Alfonse suggested, wouldn’t be a bad tactic. However, Perth somehow didn’t feel inclined to do so.

“What are you saying? This is your opinion.”

“…That’s true.”

“And you can’t say that the Count and his daughter are completely different. Whatever the reason they were brought into the royal family, she’s still his only youngest daughter.”

Being the only youngest daughter, shouldn’t she be handled with more care? Although Perth had different thoughts in his mind, fortunately, they didn’t translate into words. Moreover, as Alfonse had mentioned, Perth was the one who initially came up with this plan. Perth replied with a resigned expression.

“Understood.”

“Hah. You like me, don’t you? Even if it’s because of your position, you’re avoiding it too much.”

Perth didn’t feel the need to refute the fact that the most basic premise was flawed. Instead of responding, Perth bid farewell neatly and left the office, not bothering to argue further.

* * * 

“Hello, Lia.”

Lia, who was in the middle of a meal, responded to May’s greeting.

“Hello, May.”

“Your face looks better today.”

Ever since the incident a few days ago, May had been checking on Lia’s condition like this from time to time. Grateful for her concern, Lia smiled softly.

“I slept well yesterday.”

“If the boss bothers you again, let me know. I’ll throw something at him, even if it’s just a hint.”

May eventually found out about the incident a few days ago. Already discontent with Perth, her boss, she became even more furious after hearing Kevin’s story. Lia barely managed to prevent May from throwing everything in his tent, where his research items were kept. Instead, she promised to inform May if she needed another telekinetic for anything.

“Thank you. Your words alone make me feel better.”

Feeling relieved that she wasn’t alone, Lia felt her heart swell. Somehow, even the usual breakfast seemed more enjoyable.

After finishing the meal and opening the dining hall’s door to leave, Lia was surprised to see a familiar face.

“Mr. Perth.”

“Good morning, Lady Lia.”

Perth closed the book he had been reading, appearing as though he had been waiting for Lia for quite some time. Lia was quite surprised as she hadn’t expected him to show up for breakfast. A line of employees, intending to head to work behind Lia, followed. Some of them began murmuring recognition upon seeing Perth’s face.

“What’s going on?”

“Shall we head to the workplace first? There are too many eyes here.”

If he had cared about too many eyes, he shouldn’t have come to the dining hall in the first place, considering it was where most royal employees had breakfast. However, instead of refusing, Lia quietly followed Perth’s lead. As the crowd thinned, Perth spoke first.

“From today, I intend to trouble you a bit, Lady Lia.”

“Trouble?”

“I want to learn as much as possible about you, Lady Lia. Especially your preferences and behaviors.”

“I believe I mentioned that I don’t know much about that.”

“So I decided to find out for myself. By your side.”

At the mention of ‘by your side,’ Lia stopped in her tracks.

“Are you planning to monitor me?”

“It was initially more like an investigation, but I thought it might be better to do it confidently from the front rather than secretly from behind.”

Even his expression while mentioning ‘investigation’ was calm, almost indifferent. Lia almost responded with an ‘Oh, I see,’ nodding her head.

“Why do you need to investigate me?”

Perth, who was reserved about human contact, didn’t suddenly become curious about Lia. Moreover, he didn’t seem eager to spend time with others if possible. His mindset wouldn’t change overnight. There had to be a clear reason.

“He needs it. Information about you.”

Although no subject was given, it was easy to figure out. Who the target was. The image of Prince Alfonse quickly flashed through Lia’s mind.

“I’m surprised he’s so interested in me again.” 

It was not pleasant at all. He was someone who openly mentioned his father, Count Penelope, just to get closer. Lia had no fondness for his title as a prince, his appearance, his wealth, or even his humanity. So she had no desire to get closer to him. If it weren’t for the fact that she had to spend a month with a man Perth had introduced her to get a job at the palace, she would have done her best to stay out of Alfonse’s sight. 

“This is all because of Mr. Perth.”

Lia pretended to scold Perth. In reality, Perth’s only fault was introducing Prince Alfonse to her. He even helped her get a job at the palace and gave her a legitimate introduction. She should be grateful. But Perth just nodded in response to Lia’s unfair blame.

“Yes, so I’m trying to be as honest as possible and seek cooperation.”

Lia briefly turned her head to steal a glance at Perth’s profile. It was difficult to read any emotion from his enigmatic expression.

“…I just said it once. Sorry for blaming you for no reason.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who’ll be bothering you from now on.”

But right now, the one who would be more bothered than anyone else was Perth. He was the one who brought Lia to the palace on the orders of his superior and his contract with the Count required him to introduce her to a man. As Lia pondered, she thought of one solution.

“Can’t I just lie about my preferences?”

“False information will be easily exposed. Most lies need to be mixed with some truth to be believable.”

To her ears, it sounded like, ‘I’ll be spending more time with Lia in the future to get mostly truthful information.’ Lia didn’t particularly mind being with Perth, even though it was a bit uncomfortable. But she worried that Perth might dislike her because he now had to deal with her, which made Lia feel uneasy.

“Okay, I understand. Please follow me around from time to time to figure out my preferences.”

“Thank you for agreeing.”

“But I have a condition.”